Pope makes longtime aide a bishop in St. Peter's

By the Associated Press | January 6, 2013 | 7:32 AM EST

Pope Benedict XVI offers his personal secretary Georg Ganswein the ring as he names him bishop during an Epiphany mass in St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013. The Epiphany day, is a joyous day for Catholics in which they recall the journey of the Three Kings or Magi to pay homage to Baby Jesus. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI has rewarded his longtime loyal secretary by making him a bishop in an elaborate ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica.

The pontiff and Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, a fellow German, embraced warmly. Benedict, 85, held up well during the nearly three-hour long service Sunday, which also marked Epiphany, a Catholic feast day.

Gaenswein, 56, has been Benedict's closest aide for years, and helped steer the papal household through an embarrassing scandal of leaked documents last year. A Vatican court convicted the pope's former butler, Paolo Gabriele, of stealing the documents from the papal apartment. Benedict has since pardoned him.